Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue and for giving me the opportunity to give him an update on the Government's supports for home retrofit. In order to hit our targets we need to retrofit the equivalent of 500,000 homes to a building energy rating, BER, of B2 and install 400,000 heat pumps in existing homes to replace older, less efficient heating systems by the end of 2030. This represents about 30% of our housing stock and is among the most ambitious retrofit programmes worldwide.

The national retrofit plan was published last November as part of the climate action plan and it sets out how the Government will deliver these targets. The plan is designed to address barriers to retrofit across four key pillars: driving demand and activity; financing and funding; supply chain, skills and standards; and governance. Recognising that the achievement of our climate action plan targets will require a step-change in the pace and scale of delivery of Ireland's residential retrofit programme, earlier this year the Government approved a package of supports to make it easier and more affordable for homeowners to undertake home energy upgrades, for warmer, healthier and more comfortable homes with lower energy bills. These initiatives have resulted in a significant increase in demand and delivery under Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI, schemes.

Older, stone-built homes, by which I mean those generally built until around the 1940s, usually fall into the category of "traditionally built" buildings. Traditionally built homes and buildings are considerably more complex to retrofit. The term "traditionally built" generally refers to those buildings built with solid walls, which often have a lime- or earthen-based render finish. This was the dominant form of building construction in Ireland until the second quarter of the 20th century and includes stone-built dwellings. The primary difference between traditional and modern construction is the way that moisture is managed. Traditional materials and construction techniques allowed for the natural transfer of heat and moisture. Solid masonry walls therefore relied on their thickness to cope with atmospheric moisture by being sufficiently thick that drying out took place before external moisture reached the inside of the building. This means standard retrofit solutions are often not suitable for use with traditional buildings as they can lead to adverse and unintended consequences for the building fabric and the health or well-being of the occupants. Energy-efficiency upgrade solutions appropriate to such materials and methods are needed in these cases. As an example, a stone wall with lime-based mortar will need a lime-based plaster render to remain vapour permeable.

A significant proportion of homes and buildings that will need to be retrofitted fall into this category of "traditionally built". While these homes can be eligible for SEAI support subject to the scheme eligibility criteria and terms and conditions being met, uncertainty about what retrofit treatments are allowable or appropriate has contributed to a limited amount of whole-house energy-efficiency upgrades on these buildings. For example, a householder could get a house's attic insulated but not the walls, if the SEAI terms and conditions cannot be met. Government fully agrees it is essential that we have both the standards and supports in place for the retrofitting of all types of housing to ensure that the principles of universality and fairness underpinning the retrofit plan are met.

As set out in the plan, a new guidance document focused on energy efficiency in traditional buildings is being developed to support the proper upgrading of such buildings. This guidance document draws on expert multidisciplinary advice and expertise and will also include case studies. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is taking the lead on this project, which will also involve experts from the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and the SEAI. The guidance will show that for many traditional buildings, a BER of B2 or above can often be achieved in a way appropriate to the building. It is hoped the guidance can be completed by the end of the year. Once available it is intended the guidance will form the standard underpinning any SEAI supports for the renovation work of traditional buildings. Any relevant, available SEAI retrofit grants or supports will align with the best practice guidance when it is published.

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